Police: Texting law hard to enforce

It's been about six months since Pennsylvania banned texting while driving, but police are finding it is a difficult law to enforce.

KATIE SULLIVAN

It's been about six months since Pennsylvania banned texting while driving, but police are finding it is a difficult law to enforce.

In fact, the Scranton Police Department has cited fewer than 10 people for the offense since the ban went into effect, acting Police Chief Carl Graziano said.

One of those was a man who admitted to texting while driving when he swerved across two lanes of traffic and crashed into a parked car earlier this year. But many of the cases aren't that simple, he said.

"It's difficult to make that arrest due to the current law," Graziano said. "It's difficult for an officer to discern whether they're texting or looking up numbers on their phone."

Dickson City Police Chief William Bilinski said he has only pulled over one person for texting while driving.

"As for the exact texting law, the way it's written, it's hard to enforce and get a conviction out of it," he said.

Police officers aren't the only ones wanting more guidance from the texting and driving law.

Eileen Miller has been relentlessly campaigning against distracted driving since her son, Paul Miller Jr., was killed in a car crash in Monroe County in 2010 — showing state representatives and senators his photo in hopes they'll push for more stringent legislation against using cell phones while driving.

Progress is slow, she said, because some people think a complete cellphone ban would be to difficult to pass. Her talks with local representatives haven't been as effective as she anticipated.

"I'm very disappointed, but I'm not going to stop," Miller said.

Until more effective cellphone legislation is passed, Miller, along with local police departments and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, are working on starting preventative dialogue, especially with kids in schools.

The message is simple and can help save lives, Miller said.

"Keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and mind on task," she said.

Distributed by MCT

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